1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a sliding mechanism and a portable electronic device using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Sliding mechanisms are widely used in portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). A typical sliding mechanism usually includes a sliding member, a fixable member and a resilient member. The sliding member is slidably mounted on the fixable member. The resilient member is used to drive the sliding member to slide and/or resume the moved sliding member to its initial position. In use, the covering mechanism is assembled in a portable electronic device including a base and the cover, the fixable member is fixed to the base and the sliding member is fixed to the cover. Thus, the cover can slide back and forth to slide on the base, and covers or exposes keypad(s) mounted on the base.
However, in use of the typical sliding mechanism, the resilient member generally cannot automatically drive the sliding member and the cover to move to predetermined positions. Thus, the portable electronic device using the typical sliding mechanism cannot be conveniently used. Additionally, the resilient member of the sliding mechanism is prone to be worn out with frequent usage.
Therefore, a new sliding mechanism and a new portable electronic device are desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings.